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Disoriented: Two Strange Years in China as Unexpected Expats
Howard and Ellen Goodman were just turning 60 when Howard was laid off from his job as a newspaper editor during the Great Recession. Jobless in a dying industry in the U.S., the couple grabbed the chance at a new life when opportunity in Shanghai arose out of the blue. Both a travelogue and a cultural critique, “Disoriented” tells the couple’s story, from dazed arrival in a new land to Howard's experiences as an editor under state-controlled media and Ellen's teaching English to the children of China's new elites. Ultimately, the pair developed a surprise romance with a staggering country that few Americans really know. In this highly readable book, the Goodmans draw the reader into their worlds as they become oriented to life in a place so different from the one they left in the States. What results in their sweet and warm portrayal of life as ex-pats in Shanghai and Hong Kong is a love story, a portrait of transformation, and an appreciation of what they left at home.
332 pages, Paperback
First published May 13, 2014
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
April 10, 2015
From reader John Friedman:
"What Every American Should Know About China
"Filled with passionate dispatches, this book is a Boomer Bildungsroman, relating how two warm, funny and highly skilled literati (and not incidentally grandparents) come of age as world citizens in the epicenter of the new global economy.
"With their American Dream in in jeopardy due to the combined effects of the Great Recession and the technological assault on journalism as a viable career, Howard and Ellen Goodman, relate their tale of travail, evolving into a journey of discovery as they set off to seek fortune and adventure in the exotic East, offering the reader, as does all the rest of the best of travel writing, the chance to experience new vistas which extend beyond mere novelty, expanding our understanding not only of a remote people, but through their eyes, of our own culture, and ourselves.
"Were it only great travel writing, it would have been sufficient, but since the Goodmans were, as it were, immigrant workers in China, we gain insights into the the professional and domestic cultures that would be unavailable to mere travelers. Though surrounded and sometimes stressed by incomprehensible customs and signage, the fact that both authors have keen eyes for absurdity and take pleasure in the play of the English language makes the book not only edifying but a joy to read.
"I can't recommend it enough."
"What Every American Should Know About China
"Filled with passionate dispatches, this book is a Boomer Bildungsroman, relating how two warm, funny and highly skilled literati (and not incidentally grandparents) come of age as world citizens in the epicenter of the new global economy.
"With their American Dream in in jeopardy due to the combined effects of the Great Recession and the technological assault on journalism as a viable career, Howard and Ellen Goodman, relate their tale of travail, evolving into a journey of discovery as they set off to seek fortune and adventure in the exotic East, offering the reader, as does all the rest of the best of travel writing, the chance to experience new vistas which extend beyond mere novelty, expanding our understanding not only of a remote people, but through their eyes, of our own culture, and ourselves.
"Were it only great travel writing, it would have been sufficient, but since the Goodmans were, as it were, immigrant workers in China, we gain insights into the the professional and domestic cultures that would be unavailable to mere travelers. Though surrounded and sometimes stressed by incomprehensible customs and signage, the fact that both authors have keen eyes for absurdity and take pleasure in the play of the English language makes the book not only edifying but a joy to read.
"I can't recommend it enough."
Displaying 1 of 1 review